Love, Hate, and High School
by A Girl Named Ed
Summary: This is my humble opinion on what life would be like if the DS/Cute gang were teenagers in high school. BTW, Pony Jill's Japanese name. It's back! Rated T for language in later chapters. *COMPLETE*
1. Part 1: Morning Ritual

Part 1: Morning Ritual

Pony dragged herself out of bed, picked up her blaring alarm clock, shuffled into the restroom, and dropped it into the toilet. Then she went back to bed.

This, however, did not last long. Her mom barged in, whipped the covers off her, and proclaimed, "If you don't get up _right now_, Pony, I'm going to _personally_ go out to the barn, get a bucket of cow crap, and dump it on you. Get. Moving. Now."

Pulling herself upright, Pony groggily reached for a hairbrush. "I don't want to go, Mom..." she mumbled. "Can't I just stay home?"

"For the one hundred thousand, six hundred and eighty-seventh time, _no_. You're going to Forget-Me-Not Valley High, and that's _final_."

Pony stomped, zombie-like, across the room towards her closet. "Fine. But nothing you say will make me enjoy it."

Her mom sighed and left the room.

As she changed into her favourite orange-and-white shirt, Pony fumed at the injustice of it all. After her grandfather threw his hip out, her father sold their farm in Mineral Town to some guy (Fred, she thought his name was) and moved out here to help his father. Of course, Pony and her mom had to come, too. Pony had nothing against her grandfather, but she had lived her whole life in Mineral Town, and her best friends all lived there. Starting over was _not_ something she was looking forward to.

It's not like Pony didn't like the farm. She loved riding her grandpa's horses, Old Nellie and Little Sue, and she loved harvesting vegetables. It was the principle of the thing.

_It's amazing how many things can be explained away just by saying, 'the principle of the thing', _Pony thought bitterly as she walked into the kitchen. Her mom was dutifully making breakfast–omelet rice today–and her grandfather, Ed, was sitting at the table, reading the newspaper.

"Good morning, Pony," Ed said, smiling.

"'Morning," Pony mumbled, plonking herself down on a chair and scratching her cat, Frisky (whose name was misleading) behind the ears. That was one good thing: her parents had let her keep Frisky. "What's up?"

"Oh, nothing much," Ed sighed, flapping the paper. "They reprinted yesterday's crossword by accident."

Pony laughed. "That's sad. That's just...sad."

"Well, I've seen worse problems in the paper. Yesterday, they misspelled 'horse.'"

Pony stared. "How do you misspell–?"

"Pony, hurry up and eat," her mom said, setting the food in front of her and Ed. "You'll be late. Do you know how to get to school?"

"Yeah, Mom, it's where that weird circus thing that went out of business used to be. Don't worry, my memory's not that bad." Pony gulped down the food, chugged a glass of juice, then grabbed her rucksack. "I'm gonna go say 'bye to Dad, then I'm leaving. See ya later."

"Pony, aren't you forgetting something?" Ed said, holding out her green apron.

She grinned sheepishly and reached for it. The green one was her good-luck apron that Ed had given her when she was ten. She'd worn it on important days ever since.

"Okay, really leaving now, bye!" Pony rushed out and slammed the door.

Ed shook his head. "I don't know what goes on in that head of hers, sometimes, Marjorie."

Pony's mom laughed. "She's only a teenager, Ed."

"Still, it's not like her to be so...upset."

"She had to leave her best friend in Mineral Town. But she's supposed to call her tonight."

* * *

Pony's dad was milking the one remaining cow, Hermes, in the barn, when Pony walked in. "Hi, Dad."

"Pony!" he smiled, standing up and wiping his hands on his overalls. "How's my girl?"

"Miserable."

His smile faded. "Pony, don't be like that. You'll learn to love it here, I'm sure!"

Pony shrugged. "I guess." She hugged her dad. "See you later." Then she left.


	2. Part 2: New School, New Start

Sorry about not putting a disclaimer or anything on the last one. I'm new here, so I forgot and now I can't figure out how to edit stuff already posted... (sob)

Anyway, this is my very first fanfic! Yay! Please read and review (only if you're going to criticize, please be constructive and semi-gentle...)  
~Editor-nee-chan

Part 2: New School, New Start

Pony managed to get herself to school without getting lost. Not getting lost _inside_ the school, however, is another matter entirely.

Although the school was quite small and, on the outside, shaped like two boxes joined together by a single hallway, the inside seemed massive and so full of twists and turns that Pony felt like she should be in Wonderland, running after a white rabbit with a pocket watch.

First, she walked into the wrong 'box', the elementary school, instead of the box for the high schoolers. Then she couldn't find her period one class.

Eventually, she did find it–but of course she was ten minutes late. The teacher frowned at her from behind his super-thick glasses, and directed her to her seat. "My name is Carter, and I'm the History teacher," he informed her. "And I don't like it when students are late."

Pony sighed, nodded, and glared at his messy, greying hair and toothy necklace through the rest of the lesson.

As if that whole thing wasn't bad, Carter made Pony introduce herself to the class at the end. Pony mumbled her way thorough it, saying she liked riding horses and dancing; she didn't like cows, and she used to live in Mineral Town.

"Thank you, Pony, that's enough," Carter finally said after what seemed like eternity.

Just as Pony was about to sit back down, the bell rang. It wasn't regular school bell, it sounded like someone actually ringing a cowbell. Pony rolled her eyes. What a hick town.

"Pony, Nami, can I talk to you two please?" Carter shouted as everyone started talking at once as they left.

Pony groaned and dragged herself to Carter's desk. Another girl, with short, reddish hair and a blue plaid shirt was also there; Pony assumed she was Nami.

"Nami, could you show Pony around the Valley later?" Carter asked. "You know more about it than anyone else living here."

Nami looked like she felt the same way about the idea as Pony. Both girls grimaced. "Why?" they asked in unison.

"Just do it, please," Carter sighed, as students in his next class filed in. "Now, you'd better get going or you'll be late for your next class."

The girls trudged out, neither of them happy.

Two girls were standing outside waiting for Nami. One was petit with long brown hair, with kind of a country farmgirl style of dress. The other girl had wavy blonde hair and big blue eyes. She wore a low-cut red shirt and a blue jacket.

"Hi, Nami!" the brunette chirped as Pony and Nami left the room. "What did Carter want?"

Nami jerked her thumb at the departing Pony's back. "He wants me to show the city slicker around the Valley. Waste of time, if you ask me."

"Oh, like I want a personal tour," Pony muttered.

"Hey, wait up, Pony!" The brunette again. She walked over to her. "My name is Celia. Nice to meet you!"

"Likewise," Pony mumbled, opening her locker. She nodded at the blonde. "What's your name?" _Not that I'm interested,_ she thought, _but there's nothing wrong with being nice._

"I'm Muffy" was the reply. "What class do you have next?"

Surprised by the question, Pony shuffled through her giant binder to find her schedule. "Um...English."

"We'll take you. Let's go!" Muffy was surprisingly strong, and she dragged Pony down the crowded hallway.

* * *

Celia invited Pony to sit with them at lunch. Having no one else to sit with, Pony agreed. They were not, however, the only ones at the table.

First, there was Lumina. She was an adorable underclassman, with short, light brown hair kept away from her face by a yellow headband. Her face and words were very friendly. She smiled a lot, but was kind of quiet.

Then there was Lumina's polar opposite, Rock, who also happened to be Lumina's boyfriend. He kept flirting with the girls, which would have driven Pony crazy, but Lumina just rolled her eyes and elbowed him. He would laugh, flipping his blonde hair out of his blue eyes, and hug his girlfriend before starting right up again.

About halfway through the lunch period, Celia's friend Marlin joined them. Marlin reminded Pony of Elvis. He had the same hair and was wearing a white shirt. Only Marlin was a little unfriendlier than Elvis. He didn't talk much, and when he did, it was mostly to Celia.

Muffy waved over a girl with long, sandy-blonde hair pulled back in a loose ponytail, wearing huge glasses and a green, skin-tight tank top. "Flora! Why weren't you in History class today?"

"Sorry, I had a doctor's appointment," Flora said, her purple eyes sparkling. "What did I miss?"

"We have a new classmate!" Celia piped up, pointing to Pony. "Flora, this is Pony. Pony, this is Flora. She's an upperclassman, and she peer tutors our History class."

"N-nice to meet you," Pony mumbled.

Flora smiled at Pony. "I'd better get going, I have a huge project coming up. See you later," she said, and walked away.

The bell rang. Everyone groaned as they stood up.

"What's wrong?" Pony asked Nami.

"We have science next" was the reply.

"What's wrong with science? I like science."

"It's not the class," Nami muttered. "It's the teacher."


	3. Part 3: Falling In and Out of Love

Part 3: Falling In and Out of Love

Pony ended sitting next to Gustafa, FMNV High's resident hippie. He was a nice enough guy, but his big nose and even bigger hat were a little creepy. He also wore sunglasses and a striped shirt, and (as far as Pony knew) was the only junior in the whole school to have a beard. Apparently (she found out later), people called him 'Dirty Bearded Freak' behind his back.

Then there was Daryll. He was the teacher. As soon as he walked into the room, Pony could see why the others dreaded his class.

He stood at the front of the room and glared at them all with half-crazed eyes. Then he shook his messy mop of hair and, spreading his white-lab-coat-clad arms, proclaimed, "Today, we will be doing something different!"

Beside her, Gustafa perked up a little.

"Instead of frogs," he continued, "we will be dissecting FISH!"

Everyone groaned. Pony looked at Gustafa for clarification, a confused look on her face.

"Daryll always makes us dissect stuff," he explained quietly, so that Daryll (who was still ranting about fish) wouldn't hear him. "Every day we have to take apart something new. I wouldn't be surprised if he was making a monster in his basement made of all the stuff we've cut open." Then he laughed at Pony's disgusted face. "Don't worry, we do other stuff too. Like chemical reactions and stuff. I tell you, a science class with Daryll is never boring."

Gustafa was right: it wasn't boring. Gross, yes. Slimy, definitely. But never boring.

Pony left her new science room with a definite hatred of science.

Nami gave her a look as they walked down the hall. "You okay?"

"I can see why no one here likes science," she mumbled. "Science and I just had a very ugly breakup."

Next was music. Pony only had four classes that semester, and she was surprised to see her English teacher, Chris, in the music room.

Adjusting her glasses, Chris just smiled when Pony asked what she was doing there. "I teach many things, Pony," she explained. "Japanese, English, music, and math, to be precise. Do you play an instrument?"

"Um, I played the trumpet for a couple of years, but other than that..."

"Perfect, we need another trumpet. You'll be third trumpet; please grab one and go sit next to Skye." She pointed out the student in question and Pony had to forcibly stop herself from drooling.

Skye was a very gorgeous boy with silver hair and pale green eyes. He wore a silver leopard-print shirt that was casually formal, with just enough buttons open. Underneath was a black shirt (t-shirt or muscle shirt, Pony couldn't tell), and he wore deep purple slacks with black dress shoes. Pony swallowed, suddenly wondering if her apron was on right.

She sat next to Skye and mumbled, "H-hi. I'm Pony."

"Hello, beautiful maiden," came the reply.

Pony looked over her shoulder to see who he was talking to. _He can't mean me,_ she thought. There was, however, no one behind her. She felt her face turning slightly more pink than it already was as she turned back to Skye.

"Skye!" an angry voice came from behind them. Both students turned around to see who was so mad. It was Nami. "No flirting in class, especially with the new girl. Just ignore him," Nami said to Pony. "Skye flirts with anything that moves. Especially if they're female."

Skye pouted. "Only if they're female, you mean."

Pony sighed. _Great,_ she thought, _I've attracted another playboy._ Back in Mineral Town, one of the boys there, Kai, was always chasing skirts. It seemed like it didn't matter how old they were or what their marital status was, he charmed everyone. Including Pony. Kai was the only thing about Mineral Town that she didn't miss.

After one of the loudest classes of her life, Pony left the music room wondering if anyone in the school actually knew how to play anything. Nami caught up to her.

"Are you okay? You know, with the whole Skye thing."

Pony shrugged. "I'm used to it. There was a guy like that in Mineral Town. It's no big deal." There was a pause. "Actually," she added, "Kai was worse."

Nami rolled her eyes. "Good greif," she mumbled. "There's one in every town." Then she dragged Pony out of the school. "Come on, let's get this personal tour over with. I have stuff to do."


	4. Part 4: Small Town Life

**AAGH I keep forgetting to do a disclaimer! *I do not own HM, unfortunately***

**Okay, so this chapter is basically just to introduce everyone in the town. It doesn't do much to move the story along. Next chapter will, though, I promise!**

Part 4: Small Town Life

"We may as well start here," Nami said, heading for the cafeteria.

"Why did we go all the way around the outside of the school to get to the cafeteria?" Pony asked, failing to see the logic.

"To avoid the super-crowded hallways."

As they entered the school again, Pony looked around. "There's like fifty people."

"Fifty-seven, actually," said Nami. "That includes the high school and elementary students, the teachers, the cafeteria staff, and Murrey."

"Murrey? Who's Murrey?"

"You'll see him later," came the reply. "Right now, I'm introducing you to Nina and Ruby."

Nina and Ruby, it turned out, worked in the cafeteria. Nina was a tiny old lady with curly hair that reminded Pony of Mrs. Claus. Ruby was younger, middle aged maybe, with dark hair and a cheerful face.

The four of them talked for a little bit, then Nami dragged her charge off to meet Wally and Cody. They were the gym and art teachers, respectively. Looking at them, Pony thought that Wally was the art teacher and Cody was the gym teacher, but she was wrong. Cody really didn't look like an art teacher: he was big, buff, and black, with a blonde Mohawk and ponytail. He had a loose, red t-shirt on, and he had what looked like a permanent scowl. Wally, on the other hand, was tall and scrawny, with short brown hair and a grin that was too big for his face. He dressed like a gym teacher, in a white beater shirt and shorts, but Pony seriously doubted his ability.

They were hanging out in the staff room, and Pony was surprised to learn that Wally and Chris were married, had a son named Hugh, and lived almost next door to Pony. Cody, on the other hand, was single and lived on the opposite side of the valley.

Just then, a short, hairy, and rather smelly man (Pony assumed it was male) walked into the staff room. He was holding a rag in one hand and a mop in the other. He walked by everyone without a word and opened a closet at the back of the room. He pulled out a spray bottle and began cleaning the furniture.

"Who's that?" Pony whispered to Nami.

"That's Murrey," Nami replied, also in hushed tones. "He's a street bum, but the principle took pity on him and now he cleans the school in exchange for food and a warm place to sleep."

"Who's the principle?"

"Thomas. Let's get going; Murrey scares me a little."

The two girls said goodbye to the teachers and booked it out of the school. During the course of an hour, Nami showed Pony just about the rest of the valley. She took her to see the other farm in the Valley, which belonged to Vesta, Marlin's sister. Then they checked out Carter's dig site, which was the place he spent what little spare time he had, digging up whatever he could find. Then came the Goddess Pond, which was called that because apparently the Harvest Goddess lived there. Nami had never seen her, but that was the rumor floating around.

Then was the main part of the Valley, which Pony had passed through on her way to school that morning. There was a bar, an inn (which was where Nami lived), and a few houses along the northwest side.. Nami walked up to the middle house and knocked. A small, middle-aged man with glasses opened the door. "Oh, hello, Nami," he said with an attempt at a smile.

"Hey Grant. I'm showing Pony here around the Valley and thought we should say hi."

Grant nodded at Pony. "Hello there."

"Um, hi," Pony said. She felt a little uncomfortable.

A little girl skipped out from behind Grant. She looked nothing like him; her long sandy-blonde hair was up in braids, and she was wearing a little blue-and-white dress. "Hi there, Pony! I'm Kate."

"This is my daughter," Grant explained.

"Hi," Pony mumbled.

"Well, time's a-wasting," Nami said, grabbing Pony. "Let's go. Bye guys."

The father and daughter waved and closed the door.

The next house was the one just to the right, and it belonged to Dr. Hardy, the Valley's doctor. It took Pony a minute to figure out where she'd heard his name before, but once she saw the cyborg-like eye, she remembered.

"Hey, isn't there a guy named Trent who wants to apprentice here with you?" she asked by way of greeting.

Hardy blinked. "Yes, I just accepted him the other day."

Pony grinned. "He's my best friend's boyfriend."

Hardy laughed. "Small world! Let's see, you must be Pony then." When she nodded, he grinned. "It's been a long time! Last time I saw you, you were this big!" He indicated a height of about two and a half feet off the ground. "You've really grown up."

The two of them chatted for a bit while Nami shifted uncomfortably. Finally, she succeeded in dragging her charge off again and they headed for the last house.

A little boy, about the same height as Kate, answered the door. He had a bandaid on his left cheek and was wearing a red t-shirt with a white '1' on it. Nami squatted down so she was at his eye level. "Hey, Hugh, this is Pony." Then she looked inside the house. "Mommy and Daddy not home yet?"

Hugh shook his head. "Nope, they're working late tonight, so I'm going over to Kate's." Then he grinned at Pony. "I saw you! You came into my school!"

Pony blushed as Nami looked up at her. "Yeah, I kind of missed the huge sign that said, 'ELEMENTARY SCHOOL' in huge letters."

Nami rolled her eyes. "I'm just introducing her to all the residents right now, so we'd better go. Have fun at Kate's!"

Hugh came out of the house, locking and closing the door behind him. "I will! Bye!" He waved and ran to the house next to his.

"Let's go," Nami said. "The mansion's this way."

Lumina and her grandmother weren't home, or so said Sebastian the butler, so they left early. Nami then showed Pony the Turtle Pond and the beach, then they went home.

By the time Pony arrived at her house, it was dinner time. Her mom sent her out to get her dad and grandpa, who were out in the field trying to catch the chickens who had gotten loose.

Pony walked outside and immediately bumped into a weird, skinny, middle-aged man with giant eyebrows, wearing a white beater shirt and a towel around his neck. She yelped and slammed the door.

"Oh, and Takakura mentioned he'd stop by with some things for your father," her mom called from the kitchen.

Pony opened the door slowly. He was still there. "I'm Takakura, can I come in?" he asked. Pony reluctantly opened the door and he walked through. She ran out of there like the hounds of hell were chasing her. After helping her male relatives shove all the chickens back in the coop, she dragged them inside. Takakura was still there. He handed something to her dad and left.

"So, honey, how was your first day?" Ed asked, as Pony's mom dished out the stew.

Pony thought for a minute, then shrugged. "It went...better than expected, I guess."


	5. Part 5: BFFs and Mortal Enemies

Part 5: BFFs and Mortal Enemies

Pony set up the kitchen table so that she could do her homework next to the phone. Claire was supposed to call her today from Doug's Inn, because she didn't have a phone in her house. (Her parents were cheapskates.) Trent was supposed to call too, but Pony was more excited about Claire calling because she really didn't see what her friend saw in Trent. Sure, he was cute and all, but he was a little too obsessed with medicine and doctor stuff for Pony's liking.

Finally, after what seemed like decades, the phone rang. Pony pounced on it. Frisky looked at her from his position on top of her History notes, then rolled over and fell asleep.

"Hello?" Pony asked excitedly.

"Hi, Pony! How're things in the Middle of Nowhere?" No mistaking it, that was Claire. 'The Middle of Nowhere' was how they'd started referring to FMNV since they found out she was moving.

"Blaaaaaah," Pony groaned, sprawling over the table. "You have _no idea_ what kind of weirdos they have here." She proceeded to tell her about her crazy teachers, and Murrey, and Takakura.

"What, there aren't any cute guys at all?!" Claire sounded shocked. Then Pony heard her say something to someone else. "Sorry, Trent wanted to know what I meant," she said to Pony. "He thinks I'm cheating on him with Rick."

There was a shout from the other end, then laughter. Pony laughed. "Goddess, I wish I was there," she sighed. "I'm going to ask if I can go up on the weekend."

"Better yet, Trent and I can come down! Trent has to go meet with Dr. Hardy anyway–have you met him yet?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued. "So I figure I'll come with, and we can spend the day together!"

"Score!" Pony laughed. "And about the cute guy thing? There's another Kai here."

Silence for a moment. Then, "Pony, listen to me very carefully. Do. Not. Fall. For. Him."

"Like I was going to," Pony scoffed, but when she thought of Skye calling her a 'beautiful maiden,' her heart couldn't help but flutter a little.

* * *

Saturday seemed to take forever to arrive. When it finally did, Pony bounded out of bed, dressed as fast as she could, and raced out of the house without even stopping to say 'good morning' to her mom in the kitchen. She almost collided with Takakura as he was coming over to drop off something for her dad, but she picked herself up and kept going. At the entrance to the path to Mineral Town, she stopped and started pacing. A few days ago, when she'd tried to sneak out of the Valley to see her friend, a tiny sprite had appeared and forbidden her from leaving. "I'm not allowed to let you go without permission from your parents," it had said. Pony, who was used to seeing sprites by now (she and Claire had discovered Mineral Town's sprites behind the church about five years ago), had thrown a temper tantrum that rivaled that of a small child. Still the sprite refused to move. Pony had given up and gone home, because every time she tried to move past it, it went under her foot and she didn't want to hurt it.

This time, she didn't bother trying to leave, and instead bounced up and down trying to see if Claire and Trent were there yet. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Claire's familiar yellow head bobbed into view.

The two girls squealed and ran to each other, hugging, squealing, and generally making a lot of noise. Trent, who was a few steps behind Claire, looked a little perplexed.

Finally, the best friends pulled apart. Claire, in her usual overalls and loafers, looked great as usual. Pony, on the other hand, hadn't even done her hair up in the ponytail she was named for, and her apron (pink today) was crooked. Even Trent looked better than she did, in a light cotton shirt and pants. The girls chatted all the way back to Pony's house, where the three of them ate breakfast and Pony did her hair. Then Trent had to go see Hardy, so they all walked over to his house. Then Pony suggested a horse ride, so they had to go back to the farm, get the horses, and finally Claire got to see the whole valley.

Pony showed her all the things that Nami had shown her on her first day of school, but she saved the Goddess Pond for last. She'd been hanging out there a lot lately; she liked how quiet it was.

"Goddess Pond?" Claire asked, tying her horse's reins to a nearby tree.

"Yeah, apparently the Harvest Goddess lives here." Pony stretched out on the grass and stared into the pond. "I can see why, it's really pretty."

Claire nodded and sat down next to her. "This place is beautiful," she said, looking around her. "Look, there's not a cloud in the sky."

Pony stood up and stretched. "I know. But I still miss Mineral Town."

Claire followed Pony as she wandered over to the field next to the pond and started picking flowers. "So what about this new Kai guy? You said there was another player in town."

Pony twirled a Toy Flower between her thumb and index finger. "His name is Skye. He's really cute...no, sexy..." Claire wolf-whistled, and Pony glared at her. "Stop that. He's gorgeous, but apparently he flirts with everyone. And he was flirting with me in music class. Every day, he flirts. It's cute, but..."

Claire hugged her friend. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Kai still flirts with everyone, even me."

"Some things never change," Pony sighed, wandering back to the pond. Lying back down on her stomach, she set the flowers next to her. As she sat next to her best friend, Claire accidentally knocked a couple of flowers into the water.

"Hey, I was going to give those to Mom!" Pony said, gathering the remaining foliage up.

"Sorry!"

Suddenly, there was a bright flash, and both girls yelped in surprise and shielded their eyes. A woman appeared, floating just above the water's surface. She was wearing a long white skirt and a small blue top with a cape-like garment made of the same material as her skirt. She had long green hair that was styled in two buns on the sides of her head with a braid trailing down her back, and her eyes were the same colour, a sharp contrast to the paleness of her skin and clothing. She looked down at the girls as they stared up at her. Neither of them could move; they were paralyzed by fear and awe.

Finally, the strange woman spoke. "Hi there!" she said cheerfully.

Pony and Claire looked at each other, then back at her. "What?" they chorused.

"I said, hi there! I'm the Harvest Goddess. Nice to meet you, Pony, Claire," she added, nodding at each dumbstruck girl in turn.

"H-how do you know our...?" Pony asked.

"I know a lot of things," the Goddess laughed. "Claire, you haven't been to my pond in Mineral Town yet, have you?"

The girls looked at each other again. "You have a pond in Mineral Town?" Claire said.

"Yes, next to the hot springs. Well, thank you for the offering! Please feel free to visit anytime. Bye!" She smiled and disappeared with another flash of light.

Claire and Pony sat there for a couple of minutes, staring at the place where the Goddess had just been. Then: "Let's keep this to ourselves," said Pony.

Claire nodded. "Trent wouldn't believe me anyway," she replyed.

They got up and led the horses out of the pond area, not speaking, just remembering what had just happened. A special secret for only them.

* * *

It was only several weeks later that Pony met the Witch Princess.

She was delivering some homework to Lumina, who had been sick, and was leaving the mansion when she heard someone speaking in a strange language. She looked around, and it seemed to be coming from a storage shed next to the house. Pony pushed the wooden door open and looked inside. A woman with wavy blonde hair and strange, black clothes was standing on a stool in front of a huge cauldron with her back to the door. She was murmuring in the language that Pony had heard, and Pony was about to back out and run, when the woman started speaking English.

"That stupid Goddess," she growled, snapping her fingers. A bottle floated over from one of the shelves on the back wall and emptied itself into the pot, which hissed and bubbled more frantically. The contents turned from purple to red and back. "Thinking she's so great! I'll fix her!"

Pony started to leave, but she tripped and made a loud 'thud' noise when she fell. The woman heard her and whirled around. "Who's there?!" she shouted. Her gaze fell on the girl on the ground, and she smirked. "Pony."

Pony stood up. "Um, hi. I'll just be going now..."

"I don't think so." The door slammed shut behind Pony, casting the room into semi-darkness. The glowing purple potion was the only source of light. "I'll make sure you never sneak up on people again!"

Pony screamed and raised her arms to shield her head. After a few seconds, she heard laughter. Pony opened her eyes and saw that it was the blonde laughing. She was doubled over, clutching her stomach. "It was a joke, hon," she said between gasps for air. She wiped away a tear. "Even I'm not that mean. The name's Witch Princess."

Pony realized that she'd collapsed, and she stood up shakily. "H-hi."

"Alright, seriously, get out before I really do turn you into a bear or something."

Pony booked it out of there as fast as she could, vowing never to return.

* * *

That Saturday, Claire came down again and Pony told her all about the Witch Princess. Claire was skeptical, but she decided to take her friend's words as truth eventually. The 'incident' didn't hurt any.

Around two o'clock that afternoon, the girls were taking a walk up to the Goddess Pond, just for something to do. As they arrived, they heard shouting. They hid behind the giant tree and watched as two women–the Harvest Goddess and the Witch Princess–argued with each other.

"For the last time, stop making poor Ed's crops die!" the Goddess snapped. "He's never done anything to you!"

"Why should I?!" Witch asked. "You have no right to tell me what to do!"

Pony pointed out the Princess to Claire, and she swallowed. "Scary."

The two women squabbled for a bit. Then Pony got annoyed. "Oh, knock it off!" she yelled, stomping out from her hiding place. Claire hissed at her to get behind the tree, but for once Pony ignored her friend. "Stop causing such a commotion! People can hear you, you know!"

The enemies stopped fighting and looked at this mortal who dared interfere in their affairs. Finally, the Princess spoke. "Fine. I'll go. But hear me now, Pony! You're now on my list!" She disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The Goddess sighed. "Thank you, Pony. But I'm sorry about the list."

"What did that mean, her 'list'?" Pony asked, as Claire walked over to join them.

"Witchy has a list of people whom she doesn't like, that she wants to do bad things to," the Harvest Goddess explained. "Your grandfather is on it, I am on it...and now so are you."

"What's she going to do?" Claire asked, worried for her friend.

"Oh, you know...cause her to trip in front of her boyfriend, dump spaghetti on her, break her leg, little things like that."

"I hardly call breaking my leg little!"

"Don't worry. I'll put you on my list."

Pony and Claire looked at each other, then back at the Goddess. "Um...how exactly will that help?"

"My list is a list of people whom I wish to help. Everyone on Witchy's list, myself excepted, is on my list, along with some others." She smiled. "Don't worry. Think of it as karma." Then she disappeared with a flash of light.

Pony plopped down on the ground. "Great. Supernatural beings are not only at war with each other, but now I'm stuck in it."

Claire bent down and hugged her friend. "Like the Goddess said, don't worry. Things will turn out." She paused. "I think."

"Why hello, ladies!"


	6. Part 6: Dreams

Part 6: Dreams

The girls turned and there was Skye, as sexy as ever, just standing there looking at them with a surprised look on his rather girly face. Claire nudged Pony. "Who's that?" she whispered. "Is that Skye?" Pony nodded.

"Oh, so you know me? I'm flattered," Skye laughed. "Are you here for a walk?"

Pony nodded. "Yeah, it's really pretty here, so Claire and I–"

"Oh, so your name is Claire? I've heard Pony talk about you!" said the boy. "You're from Mineral Town?"

"Did you tell him about me?" Claire demanded of Pony, who shook her head.

"No, but I heard her talking to Nami in music once, and we sit beside each other, so..." Skye shrugged. "I couldn't help but overhear. So Claire, you're dating the doctor's new intern?"

"News travels fast here," Claire muttered.

"Do you come here often?" Skye had come over and sat next to Pony by this point, so that he sat on her right, and Claire was on her left. They were all facing the spring.

Pony nodded. "Yeah, I come here after school almost every day, and when Claire comes down on weekends, we come here to visit–" she caught Claire's glare and swallowed 'the Harvest Goddess.'

Skye smiled and laid back. "It _is_ very pretty here. I've been coming every day first thing in the morning, before school, just to reflect and think."

The girls exchanged looks of surprise. Neither of them had thought the playboy was so deep. "Where do you live, Skye?" Pony asked.

"Hm? Oh, with my grandparents, Nina and Galen. They live in the house on the hill next to the school; have you seen it?"

They thought for a second, then a moment of realization dawned on Pony. "Nina? As in, works-in-the-cafeteria Nina?"

He laughed. "That's her!" Then he checked his watch and sighed. "I'd better get going," he said, standing up. "I'll see you beautiful ladies later! " He stood up and started to walk away. Then he paused, turned, and blew a kiss, looking right at Pony. Finally, he winked and walked off.

Claire leaned over to look at her friends face. "You're blushing! That's so cute!"

"I am not!" Pony snapped, covering her red face with her hands.

* * *

The next Monday, Pony was sitting next to Skye in Music when she caught a whiff of something spicy. "Skye, do you smell that?" she asked, sniffing the air.

Skye turned pink, but asked, "S-smell what?"

"I dunno, it's like curry or something." She looked at Skye, but for the first time he wasn't looking at her. "Are you okay, Skye? Your face is red..." Then it dawned on her, and she laughed. "Did you have curry for lunch?"

"No. I have curry in my bag."

Pony thought he was kidding; how do you carry a plate of curry in your _bag_? But she could tell by his face that he wasn't kidding. "After class, we need to talk," she muttered. He nodded, and for once he didn't flirt with her all through the class.

After Pony had had her eardrums burst yet again, she said goodbye to Nami and dragged Skye to the spring. "Okay, spill. What's with the curry?"

He dug through his backpack and pulled out a small clay bowl with a lid, and opened it. "It's supposed to be Curry Rice, but..." Inside was a black mess which smelled suspiciously like the curry smell she'd smelt earlier. He sighed. "I'm not too good yet."

Pony cocked an eyebrow, indicating that he should go on. He fidgeted. "I want to be a curry chef," he sighed. "I'm the only boy in the whole school taking Home Ec. I love curry so much, but I haven't got anywhere to practice, except for in class. So I'm not too good yet. It's my dream..." He paused. "Promise not to laugh?" She nodded. "It's my dream to make Finest Curry."

The two of them sat there quietly for a moment. Then Pony broke the silence. "Why would I laugh? That's a great dream!"

Skye looked up from the failed curry. "Really?"

"Sure! At least you have a dream. Some people don't, and are happy just to coast through life as it comes to them. Some people just get stuck with whatever job they can get, no matter how miserable it is. But you have a dream, and if you work hard enough at it, it'll come true!"

Skye smiled and looked down at the little pot in his lap. "I never thought of it that way. I just thought...it was kind of embarrassing. I mean, everyone thinks that I'm this playboy who likes girls more than anything, but that image was kind of just...pushed on me. I feel like I have to keep up the image, and hide the 'real' me behind a mask. It's just...you know...what would people think of me if they knew my dream was to make the best kind of curry there is?"

They sat in silence for a bit. Finally, Pony said, "Do you know what my dream is, Skye?" He shook his head. "I want to become a Supreme Farm Goddess."

Skye cocked his head to the side. "What's that?"

"All farmers have an official 'title,' or degree. Supreme Farm Goddess is the highest one of all, for a girl. For a boy it's Farm Supreme God." She sighed. "But it takes _forever_ to get there. I mean, my grandpa's been farming for most of his life, and he's only at Farm Emperor. Sometimes I wonder why I bother."

"Hey, you can't say great things about my dumb dream and then knock yours!" Skye protested. "That's an amazing dream! If you don't strive to be the best, you'll never get anywhere! A wise man once said, 'Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars!'" Their eyes met briefly, then they blushed and looked away. "So if you want me to work on my dream, I want you to work on yours."

Pony smiled. "Thank you, Skye."

He grinned back and winked. "Anything for a beautiful maiden."

They both laughed.

* * *

The Witch Princess watched the teenagers through the leaves in the giant tree she was sitting in. "How dare she butt in with my fight," she growled to herself. "This is for you, Pony!" She snapped her fingers and a branch snapped off the tree.

* * *

Skye heard the sound of wood breaking, and since he was facing the tree, he saw the branch falling. "Move, Pony!" he shouted, shoving her out of the way, then scrambling to move himself. There was a loud crash, and while Pony wasn't hurt too badly, aside from some scrapes from the shove, Skye found himself with his foot stuck under the branch. He yelled in pain and Pony screamed.

"Hang on, Skye! I'll...I'll...do something!"

"Comforting," he grunted, attempting to move his foot.

Pony grabbed hold of the tree limb and pulled. Since it wasn't a very heavy branch, she was able to move it just enough so that Skye could pull his foot out from under it. Pony grabbed his foot and pulled the shoe off it. "This is definitely broken, you need a doctor!"

Skye started to protest, but Pony wouldn't have it. She picked him up and piggybacked him to Hardy's house.

On the way there, Skye held on tight and sighed. "I'm sorry, Pony. I shouldn't have made a pretty girl have to carry me."

"It's fine," Pony snapped, blushing slightly at the praise. "I'm pretty strong from working on the farm, you know. I think I'll survive. But I just need to make sure you do."

He laughed at that as they arrived at the doctor's house. "It's just a broken foot. No worries."

Thankfully, it _was_ just a broken foot, as Hardy told them about two minutes later. He inspected them closely, making sure neither of them were hurt anywhere else, then told Pony to help Skye home with his newly bandaged foot.

"Bed rest for a week," Skye muttered as Pony carried him home. "I can't believe it."

"I can bring you your homework," Pony suggested. "That way you can stay caught up in school."

"That doesn't help the curry situation," he sighed. "How'm I going to practice my curry skills without Home Ec? I'm confined to my bed, and Grandpa won't let me in the kitchen; he seems to think I'll blow it up or something."

Pony laughed at that. "Well, I'll think of something. Do you want visitors, or should I just bring work?"

"Visitors would be great, thanks." By this time, they were outside the house on the hill. Pony knocked on the door, and Nina answered. She gasped. "Skye! What happened to you?"

"I'll let you explain," Pony said, setting Skye down gingerly so he could hobble over to his grandmother. "I'll bring you homework tomorrow. Bye!"

She waved and left as the door closed.

* * *

"And then I took him home," Pony finished.

There was a long silence from the other end of the line. She was talking to Claire again, instead of doing her homework.

Finally, Claire said, "So this Skye guy. I've seen how cute he is. And he seems pretty nice. But...are you sure he's right for you?"

Pony laughed. "You make it sound like we're getting married or something. Claire, we're just classmates. He's a nice person, really."

Another pause. "Look, just make sure you don't get hurt, okay? Or I will seriously come down there and kick your butt!"

They laughed for a bit, then started talking about how much they hated math.


	7. Part 7: Betrayal

**Oops, I haven't been doing A/N! Sorry about that. Fail.  
And I'm also sorry about reposting chapter 6! That was an accident. It will not happen again. Thank you to ****jadegirl411 for pointing it out!  
Anyway, this chapter is pretty much where some conflict starts. I'm not a huge fan of the ending but please let me know if you are 3 (a.k.a please review!)  
*I don't own Harvest Moon***

Part 7: Betrayed

After Skye's week of bed rest was up, Pony started hanging out with him more often. He adopted her tradition of going to the Goddess Pond after school instead of before, because it meant not having to get up so early. After a little while, she invited him over to make curry at her house.

Pony's mom gave the two of them a quizzical look, as if she wondered why Pony was bringing home boys to make curry, of all things, but she left them alone. Pony got out the ingredients while Skye clanked around the kitchen, looking for the pot.

"It's in the cupboard under the stove," she called from the fridge. "Mom, I can't find the Rice Balls."

"They're in there somewhere," came the reply from the table. "Just keep looking."

"Big help, Mom, thanks," Pony muttered. Skye grinned. Pony made him laugh all the time. She was always able to make him feel better...

Skye shook his head to clear it and pulled the huge pot out of the cupboard. Pony tossed him a Rice Ball. "Here, break this up and heat it. Then we'll add the Curry Powder and herbs." Skye did as he was told, and added a little water from the taps so the rice wouldn't stick. Pony watched him measure out exactly how much Curry Powder they needed and crumble up the Blue Grass. He really loved what he was doing, that much was plain to see. How had he ever gotten the 'image' of a player pushed on him? Then she remembered her first music class, and sighed. That was how.

They made several different types of curry, then after a while they ran out of grasses, so they had to stop. Pony's dad came in from working in the field and stared at the curry overload. There was curry on the table, on the kitchen counter, next to the telephone...there was even some sitting on the bed! Every place that wasn't occupied by anything alive and/or moving was occupied by curry.

"Holy curry, Pony!" he exclaimed, stepping carefully around the plates of curry on the floor that had been placed strategically so there were paths to certain parts of the house. "How are we going to eat all of this?"

Skye looked around at the aftermath of the afternoon. "I guess we went a little overboard, huh?"

"A little? It looks like a bunch of curry factories exploded in here! What are we going to do with all this curry?"

Pony twirled her ponytail, like she did when she was nervous. Skye watched her, then fidgeted with a plate of Red Curry. "Uh...we could sell it?" she suggested.

Everyone looked at her, and she squirmed. "Okay, bad idea."

"No, that's a great idea!" her dad exclaimed. "I'll go talk to Thomas right now about it!" He rushed out the door, probably to Mineral Town to speak with the mayor. Pony scowled; she'd hoped to keep the creepy old man out of it.

Skye picked up the Red Curry he'd been playing with. "Uh, Pony, can I take some of this home with me? I want to show Grandpa that I can cook. Plus, then we won't have to make dinner tonight."

Pony looked around at the curry explosion and grimaced. "Take as much as you want. I don't think we'll be able to sell that much. I mean, how many people are there in the Valley total? Way less than there are plates of curry here. And not all of them will want curry!"

"Uh, yeah, can I ask something?" Skye picked nervously at the curry in his hands. "When we sell the curry, can we not tell them that I helped?"

"Helped? You made most of it," Pony laughed.

"Yeah, well...I'd rather not have people know about...you know...me and curry?" He shrugged. "It's embarrassing."

"You don't mind me knowing," she pointed out. "What makes me so different from them? I mean, compared to them, you hardly know me."

"But I feel so comfortable around you," he protested. Then he immediately shut up and turned as red as the curry in his hands. "I mean...uh...you know the real me. I don't have to put up a front when we're alone. I'm just me...Skye."

Pony cocked her head to the side. "Okay, but I think you should tell them. People here aren't judgmental. They'd understand. I mean, who doesn't have a dream?"

Skye gathered up a few more plates of curry silently and headed for the door. "I'll...I'll think about it. For your sake."

"You want some help with that?" Pony asked, grabbing a plate of Green Curry from his hands. When he protested, she ignored him and pushed the door open.

Her dad was standing right there, about to go in. "I talked to Thomas, and he said it's a good idea."

"That was fast."

"Well, I'm a fast person. Anyway, how does this Saturday sound for a curry-eating contest?"

Pony and Skye looked at each other. "I hadn't thought of that! That could work," Pony said thoughtfully. "Saturday work for you, Skye?"

"Sure," he said, nodding. "I'll help set up, but I won't participate. I love curry, but I can't eat too much of it."

Pony's dad went past them into the house. "Hurry back, Pony. We're having curry for dinner tonight!" He closed the door as Pony rolled her eyes and the two of them began the long trek back to Skye's.

* * *

Pony walked onto the beach, carrying one end of a huge table. "Okay, we'll put the eater's table near the judge's stand," she called to Ed, who was on the other end. They set it down. "Thanks for giving me a hand with this," Pony said, picking up and unloading one of the crates of curry they'd brought down earlier.

"No problem. Skye a no-show?"

She shook her head. "I haven't seen him all morning. I don't think he's coming; he's really embarrassed about the whole curry thing."

Ed shook his head. "If he were _my_ grandson, I'd bop him one upside the head!"

"Yes, Grandpa, I'm sure you would," Pony sighed, unpacking some of the crates.

"Hey!" Pony looked up to see Skye running towards her, waving. "Sorry I'm late, I was trying to get some other people to come watch!"

"Finally!" Ed snapped. "It's rude to keep a pretty young lady waiting."

"Grandpa!" Pony blushed. "It's fine, Skye. Just give me a hand setting up here."

By the time they'd finished setting up, quite a crowd had gathered. All of Pony's friends from school had come, and so had her teachers, and Lumina's grandmother, and even Murray. Pony looked over at Skye, who shrugged. "You'd be surprised what draws a crowd."

Pony laughed and stepped up to the front of the large table covered in curry. "Uh, hi, everyone, and welcome to the Forget-Me-Not Valley Curry Eating Contest!" she shouted. Everyone clapped and cheered. "Okay, so the first four contestants are Murrey, Marlin, Wally, and Carter. Please come up to the table now."

After a whole day of people stuffing themselves with curry, Pony awarded Murrey the title of Curry King. As she was about to give her closing remarks, Skye tugged on her sleeve. "I was thinking about...you know, telling them about my dream?" Pony nodded. He took a deep breath. "Could you...tell them about the...curry thing?"

Pony beamed at him. "Sure! No problem. I'm so proud of you!" He blushed as she cleared her throat. "Hey, listen, everyone," she shouted. "First of all, let's give another round of applause to our winner, Murrey!" Everyone clapped and cheered appropriately. "Second, please give a big thank-you to Skye, because he made most of the curry for today! Thanks, Skye!"

There was a short pause as everyone stared at the sheepish Skye standing in front of them. Then they burst out laughing. Skye winced and ran away. "Skye, come back!" Pony called, running after him, leaving poor Ed to do the cleanup.

* * *

Pony finally found Skye sitting curled in a little ball at the edge of the Goddess Pond. She tentatively put a hand on his shoulder. "Skye?"

He pulled away. "Go away." When she didn't move, he turned to glare up at her. Tears were streaming down his face, and his eyes were red and puffy. "It's your fault they laughed at me! If you hadn't been so annoyingly persistant about telling them my lame interests, they would never have laughed at me!"

"Skye, I–" Pony didn't get a chance to finish, because Skye stood up and shouted at her.

"I hate you! I never want to see you or talk to you ever again!" He turned and ran away.

"Skye!" she called, but it was too late. He was gone. She slumped to her knees; now she was the one crying. "Wait...I love you..."


	8. Part 8: Love is Everywhere but Here

**I apologize for the extremely cheesy title.  
I also apologize, because after this chapter, HH will go on a temporary hiatus. I'm having the tiniest bit of writer's block (and I'm freaking out about college, too, so that's not helping any), but hopefully it'll be done by the end of the week. Please bear with me! And please review!  
*I don't own Harvest Moon and that's a bloody shame***

Part 8: Love is Everywhere but Here

Summer 1. It was Summer vacation, and everyone was ecstatic. Well, everyone except for Pony and Skye of course.

Skye had started avoiding her as much as possible ever since the curry incident. He didn't talk to her in Music class, and he'd stopped going to the pond after school. Pony went every day, just to see if Skye would show up, but he never did.

He didn't talk to anyone else much, either. When people passed him in the halls, they started giggling and whispering. Instead of flirting, he ignored everyone around him. It hurt Pony every time she saw him.

Thankfully, she wouldn't be seeing him much over the summer, because they lived on opposite sides of the Valley and didn't have to see each other at school. Claire came down for their first sleepover since the move, but even she couldn't cheer Pony up.

"Stop moping around!" she finally snapped, chucking a cow-shaped pillow at Pony's head. "He'll get over it. Boys can't hold a grudge the way we girls can." Pony grabbed the pillow and started sobbing into it. Claire's face fell and she put a hand on her best friend's shoulder. "You really like him, huh?" Pony nodded miserably. Claire sighed and hugged the brunette. "Don't worry. Things will turn out fine. You have a Goddess on your side, remember?"

"Yeah, and look how that turned out," Pony said sarcastically, standing up. "I made Skye break his leg, and now he hates me because of something that's not my fault!" She threw the cow to the ground violently. "I hate boys!"

Claire waited until Pony had calmed down, then said, "You know what you need? Espionage." Pony looked at her blankly. "Let's go spy on someone! We used to do that all the time in grade school!"

Pony rolled her eyes. "No way. That's so childish."

"So?"

Pony grinned for the first time in weeks. "Let's go!"

* * *

"So why are we spying on Daryll?" Pony asked. "He's the most boring person in the world."

"No way! He's gotta be some crazy Frankenstein kind of guy. We're going to find out the truth!"

"Go away, Popuri. Who said you could come, anyway? Go hang out with Kai or something."

The pink-haired teen pouted. "No way! I'd rather spy with you guys!"

Pony glanced at Claire desperately. "Why did we say she could come?"

"Look, just because Popuri is an underclassman doesn't mean she shouldn't come with!" the blonde hissed. "Besides, if she doesn't come, she'll tell."

"How old are you, like, five?" Pony asked, rolling her eyes.

But they crept up on Daryll's house anyway and peeked through the window. He was pacing back and forth, still wearing his lab coat, muttering to himself. Pony glanced at Claire, who shrugged. After a few minutes, he opened a metal trapdoor in the floor and disappeared down a hidden flight of stairs.

Popuri raced to the door. "It's unlocked!" she hissed. "Let's go!" The two older girls reluctantly followed her into the house. There were beakers and books and other science-y stuff all over the place. Popuri started towards the stairs, when Daryll burst up them suddenly. He didn't seem to notice the girls in his house, and he raced out the door as fast as he could. "What was that all about?" Popuri asked.

"Like we know? Let's check out the basement," Claire decided, marching down the stairs.

Pony sighed and followed. She still didn't feel any better. In fact, she felt like someone wearing mile-high platform shoes had stepped on her, then backed up and stepped on her again. Her feeling changed to one of shock when she saw what was in the basement.

There was a beautiful girl with short, green hair in a huge tub of water sitting in the corner. She was human up top, but from the waist down, she had the tail of a beautiful, rainbow-coloured fish. On her human half, she was wearing some sort of bikini. She looked just as surprised to see Pony and her friends as they were to see her.

"Who are you? What did you do with Daryll?" she snapped, swimming to the front of the tank and glaring at them. "If you've hurt him, I swear I'll–"

"W-we didn't do anything!" Pony stammered. "He came racing out of the house like it was on fire, and we came in to see if something was wrong." Which wasn't the whole truth, but it was close enough. "I'm Pony."

"I'm Claire," Claire added. "The pink one in shock is Popuri."

"I'm Leia," said the mermaid. "I was hurt at sea and I washed up on the beach, and Daryll has been taking care of me."

"He's never tried to dissect you?" Pony asked, surprised.

Leia rolled her big green eyes. "Of course not. Listen, is there something I can help you with? Because Daryll might be back in a few minutes, and he doesn't take kindly to strangers in his house."

Pony gulped. "N-no, we'll be going."

"Wait!" Popuri had finally spoken up. "Pony has a crush on someone who hates her for something that's not her fault. He won't talk to her or anything. How can she get him to like her?"

"How much did you tell her?" Pony growled at Claire.

"Uh...pretty much the whole story. She can be pretty scary when she's mad."

"That's...unfortunate," Leia said, thinking. "I dunno...try giving him an I'm-sorry present."

Pony rolled her eyes. Now she was taking love advice from a _mermaid_? Thinking about Skye made her heart hurt, and her eyes tear up. "Thanks, I guess. Come on, guys, let's go. See you around, Leia."

"Pony!" Claire called, but Pony had already raced up the stairs, tears streaming down her cheeks.

* * *

Claire banged on Pony's bedroom door. "Hey, Pony, get out here! You can't sulk forever!"

"Yes I can!"

Claire sighed. "Fine. But at least come out on the Fireworks Festival. I have something planned."

Pony opened the door a crack. "Fine. Now please, leave me alone. I just want to think for a while."

"The twenty-fourth! Don't forget!" Claire left, saddened by the change her friend had gone through since Skye's blowup. She walked around for a little while, and finally found herself standing in front of Skye's house. She knew what she had to do, and she knocked on the door.

* * *

Summer 24, the Fireworks Festival, finally rolled around, and Pony left early to take a walk around the Valley.

She wished she hadn't by the end of it. The Fireworks Festival is one of the most 'romantic' festivals of Summer, so there were couples everywhere. Celia was trying to carry a huge pumpkin by herself, then Marlin grabbed it from her, insisting that she not overexert herself. Rock and Lumina were by the Goddess Pond, holding hands and laughing. Even Galen and Nina, Skye's grandparents, were having a grand old time, just sitting on the bench outside their house together.

"Nami, I have something I want to talk to you about." Pony heard Gustafa's voice from near the Turtle Pond as she approached. She hid behind a tree so the redhead and the hippie wouldn't see her.

"What is it, Gustafa?" Nami sounded shy, which was weird; Nami was never shy.

"Uh, well, I was just thinking, after high school, I want to travel the world with my music..." He paused. "And I want to take Nami with me."

Pony clapped a hand over her mouth to keep herself from gasping. That sounded more like a proposal than anything! She peeked out from behind her tree and saw that Nami was having a reaction similar to hers.

"I-I mean, well...I really like you, Nami!" he burst out. "I want to be with you forever!"

There was a short silence, during which Pony found herself silently shouting, "Say yes, Nami! Say yes!"

"I...I really like you too," Nami finally managed to get out. She smiled. "Of course I'll go with you!"

As the beaming new couple walked away hand in hand, Pony felt a mixture of happiness and depression. Sure, Nami had found someone. So had just about everyone else in the whole world! As for Pony, she'd found someone, but he hated her. She sat down next to the tree and cried until she fell asleep.

She was still asleep under the tree when Claire shook her awake. "So this is where you've been! We've all been worried sick about you!"

Pony sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Whahappen?" she mumbled. Then she snapped back to reality. "Oh my Goddess, what time is it?"

"Almost six. We've brought you some food; everyone else has already eaten and is at the beach."

Pony took the sandwich that Claire handed her warily. "Everyone else? Who else is there?"

Claire shrugged. "You'll see. Eat up and let's go!"

Pony wolfed down the food and stood up, trailing behind Claire and Trent. They were walking arm in arm towards the beach, and although Trent's face looked like a tomato with eyes, it was clear that they thought they were the happiest people in the universe. Pony almost started to cry again, but she couldn't with Claire right there.

As soon as she stepped onto the beach, there was a huge cry of, "SURPRISE!"

Pony screamed with joy as she saw all of her friends from the Valley _and_ Mineral Town there. Nami, Celia, Muffy, Gustafa, Rock, Lumina, Marlin, and Flora represented the Valley folk, and Ann, Cliff, Karen, Popuri, Rick, Kai, Elli, Mary, Gray, and of course Trent and Claire were mixed in there with them. Pony really did start to cry this time, but that was because she was so happy.

"Claire, did you...?" She turned to her friend, who nodded.

"I asked everyone to come here this year. I knew you needed cheering up, and I thought this would work better than that failed spying." Claire hugged the brunette. "The Fireworks Festival is for _all_ types of friends, not just...special friends."

Pony sobbed into Claire's shoulder. Finally, she managed to get a hold of herself, and she led the way to the water's edge. Everyone was sitting on blankets, talking, laughing, and waiting for the show to start.

Pony waved Ann over. "So how are things with you and Cliff?" she asked, nodding at the boy with the ponytail who was a few feet away, staring out at the water with a glazed expression.

"Pony!" she giggled, pushing her. "I'm still working on him, but if all goes well, I should be able to get him to admit he likes me! And guess what? Karen and Rick _finally_ started dating! They've totally liked each other for, like, ever, so it was only a matter of time."

Ann chattered on for a while, and Pony half listened. She was thinking about Skye again, and how much she wished he was here so she could talk to him. Then the fireworks started, and she snapped back to reality.

* * *

As a matter of fact, Skye was there, watching from the trees surrounding the beach. It made him happy to see Pony so happy, but it made him a little sad, too. He felt annoyed that she could be happy without him, but he didn't know why he felt that way. He kept replaying his conversation with Claire that day in his mind.

"I don't want to talk to her," he'd snapped.

"That's not true and you know it," she'd snapped back. "You like her. It's so obvious. Give her another chance."

"I do _not_ like her!" he shouted, turning red from a combination of anger and embarrassment. "I don't! I hate her! She made me–"

"Pony didn't _make_ you do anything! You decided, of your own accord, that you wanted people to know the truth. Now you're just looking for a scapegoat, and because Pony's always there, you lashed out at her! If you ever, I mean ever, come near her again, I will rip your heart out and eat it while you die!"

"Fine!" he screamed, though his heart broke to think he'd never see her again. He'd thought he could apologize to her later, when he'd sorted his feelings out, but apparently...he shook it off and continued. "I don't want to...want to..."

Claire's face softened. "What _do_ you want?"

He broke down and began to cry, his face in his hands. "I want to see her...to tell her I'm sorry. That I didn't mean what I said...that I lo–" He immediately shut up. _Love? Is that how I feel?_ he thought.

A small hand fell on his shoulder. "If you want her to forgive you, you'll have to do exactly as I say."

* * *

Skye watched the fireworks, and when they were over, he waited for people to leave. Claire had promised to keep Pony busy while everyone left, so he could get her alone and talk to her. He'd never felt so nervous in his life, not even when he was on stage for the first time in Drama class. After everyone but Claire, Trent, and Pony had left, Skye stepped out of the bushes.

* * *

Pony heard a noise and turned around. There was Skye, standing in front of her, his face redder than Trent's, looking gorgeous as always in his silver shirt and purple pants. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then turned and ran.

"Skye! Wait!" Without thinking, Pony took off after him.


	9. Part 9: Mineral Town

**Hooray! It's finally back! I've gotten over my writer's block, but I'm sorry it's so short. Actually, this is the second last chapter!  
Warning: there is some language in this one. (Never get Pony mad. It is a scary sight.)  
Thank you for being so patient with you! Please review! A constructive criticism would be greatly appreciated.  
*I don't own HM or its characters***

Part 9: Mineral Town

Pony, being quite physically fit from working on the farm, caught up to Skye quickly. However, he continued to run just out of her reach, so she couldn't quite catch him.

When they reached the path to Mineral Town, the sprite appeared in front of Pony, letting Skye get further away. "I'm not allowed to let you go without permission from your–"

"Get outta my way!" Pony screamed, kicking the tiny sprite to the other side of the Valley. She took off after Skye again.

The Mineral Town Fireworks Festival had just ended as well, so everyone was going back home. Skye shoved past Barley and May and kept running. Pony leapt over them and followed. With a grunt and a burst of speed, she leapt into the air and tackled him to the ground. Skye let out an "Oof!" as the wind was knocked out of him. He struggled, but Pony sat on his back and grabbed his ears.

"Alright, you little bastard! I don't care how much you hate me, I have some stuff to say, so listen up!" The boy squirmed, trying to escape, and she pulled on his ears. He howled. "I said, listen up! You're a big fat jerk and a horrible trumpet player! You hold a grudge like a girl; in fact you look a lot like one too!" She sighed; her tirade had taken a lot out of her. She let go of his ears, propping one hand on her hip and running the other through her hair. "Dammit, you asshole, why'd I have to fall for you?"

There was a pause. Then Skye twisted enough so he could see her face. "What?"

"I said, 'You're a big fat–'"

"No, the last part."

"Oh. 'Dammit, you asshole, why'd I have to fall for you?'"

His face broke into a wide smile. "Well, I can give as good as I get, you know!" In an instant, he'd wiggled out from under her and had grabbed her from behind in a bear hug. "Let's see...you stink at making curry. And...uh...I still blame you. Well, okay, I don't, but, uh...you are kind of manly." If looks could kill, everyone within a five thousand mile radius would be lying on the bleeding internally. "Okay, not manly, but...boyish. Not feminine."

"Can you get to the point?" she growled, struggling.

"Working on it. You're all of those things, but you're also smart, funny, and cute as hell. And I love you for it." In one quick movement, he spun her around to face him and planted one on her lips.

When they broke away, Pony smirked. "For a playboy, you sure suck at kissing."

He pouted. "It was my first kiss! I can't help it!"

"Then I'll have to show you how it's done, won't I?"

* * *

In her pond back in the Valley, the Harvest Goddess was watching the farmer and the chef in a small area of water that reflected what she wanted it to. She glanced up at the Witch Princess, who was standing in front of the pond. "I win, Witchy," she said.

The Princess pouted. "No way! I can still–"

"No," the Goddess said. "I want you to leave Pony and Skye alone. Take her off your list. I know that the whole curry incident was your doing, but thanks to my reactions, they're together, like they should be."

Witch stamped her foot. "Fine! I'll find someone else for my list!"

"And I'll put them on mine."

The Princess stamped her foot again and disappeared.

The Goddess gave the reflection of the lovebirds one last glance before she disappeared. "Good luck, Pony," she whispered.


	10. Epilogue

**I am soooooo sorry it took so long to get this up here. Everything decided to happen at once. (Stupid poetry unit...grumble grumble...)  
Anyway, this is the end! Thank you very much to Mikan-senpai, fairiesrcool, Joker Queen, and everyone else who reviewed, and thank you also to Anime Girl 593, Sashabelle, StarlightSummer, and everyone else who added this to their favourite story or story watch! I'm so glad that people like this! Thank you again!  
~Editor-nee-chan  
P.s. I still don't own Harvest Moon. Bet you didn't see that one coming, did you?**

Epilogue

Three years later.

Pony got up early, made herself breakfast, and headed outside while still eating. She wanted to get started with the milking as quickly as possible–what with all the cows they had now, it was practically a three-hour chore.

She checked the mailbox on her way past out of habit, not expecting anything to be in it. To her surprise, there were two letters, both addressed to her. She opened the first one.

"Congratulations!" it read in big, cheesy letters. "Your rank has increased to Farm Countess!"

Pony sighed and smiled. _I'll hang that on my wall with the rest of them later,_ she thought, re-folding the paper and placing it back in the envelope. Then she opened the other one.

_Dear Pony_, it said, in silver ink.

_It's me again. How is everything on the farm? Did Butch start laying eggs yet? I still can't believe you actually named a chicken Butch. But anyway, things are fine here. The Gourmet's cooking school is huge, so I keep getting lost, but I've made friends with this short guy named Pierre. He's kind of eccentric when it comes to cooking, but he likes curry, so he can't be all bad. He's started calling me 'Phantom' because of my pale skin and silver hair, but I don't mind. It's nice to have a nickname._

_I have to go–you would not BELIEVE the amount of homework we have. It's not even funny. Write me back soon. I love you and miss you._

_Love always,_

_Phantom Skye _

Pony read it again and again, trying to imagine him at a cooking school with a short guy named Pierre. Finally, she sighed and leaned on the mailbox, looking up at the sky. "I love you and miss you too, Skye," she said.

The End!


End file.
